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by PoisonJack



Series: FebuWhump 2021; star wars; borderlands fills [8]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Buried Alive, Established Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, General au, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Poe Dameron's Survivor's Guilt, Whump, all those good tasty indulgent h/c tropes, feverish rambling, it doesn't matter too much, post tlj but canon divergent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:20:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29394693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: Hux shoves Poe out of the way of a collapsing ceiling, saving his life and getting buried in the process. Poe digs him out and sits by his side in the medbay, soothing him through feverish hallucinations from his subconscious.I've been sick, so I threw days 8, 9, 10, and 11 ofFebuWhumpprompts together :)The prompts were:Day 8:“hey, hey, this is no time to sleep”;Day 9:buried alive,Day 10:“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.",Day 11:hallucinations
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux, gingerpilot - Relationship
Series: FebuWhump 2021; star wars; borderlands fills [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140923
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





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**Author's Note:**

> It was less dramatic to have Finn use his jedi powers to lift shit and that is literally the only reason I didn’t have him just do that quick. Let's pretend he hasn't quite mastered powers yet :D Jedi Finn for life!

“ _NOOO!_ ”

Poe’s shout of defiance tore from his throat from where he’d been pushed out of the way. He was already scrambling to get back on his feet, ignoring the alarmed shouts and accompanied footfalls following the collapsed debris overhead.

“ _Hugs…! HUGS!!_ ”

_“_ Poe _be careful!”_

He ignored Finn’s voice as he surged to where Hux had been standing right next to him only moments prior. His heart was in his throat and blood rushed in his ears with pure adrenaline as Poe was already pulling through the unstable rubble with both hands. Dust filled the air of the dilapidated structure they’d been exploring for possible leads to a weapons cache, and debris _still_ trickled and fell down from above.

He didn’t care. Hux had barely had time to shout a warning before he’d pushed Poe out of the way. The terror gripping Poe’s heart as he couldn’t _see_ Hux within the mess threatened to overwhelm him as he pulled rotten wood and other organic building materials from where he’d last seen him. Moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes as he tried to push aside panicked thoughts, grunting as he tried to move a particularly heavy piece. He kept calling out to Hux with panicked urgency, digging with poor visual as dust obscured his vision.

Poe felt the panic of terror grip him as he still hadn’t found the other man yet, and he called out to Finn-- to _anyone_ who’d been nearby- with desperation in his voice. “ _Help me! Please!!_ ”

The hole he was beneath was hardly stable, but Poe’s only focus was Hux, muscles straining and heart pounding with a particularly heavy piece he couldn’t move on his own. Fears that he wouldn’t find Hux _alive_ began to circulate in his mind, tightening his throat and pricking tears at his eyes as he called to the man; told him to hang in there; he was _coming_ , just hang on.

“Poe--”

“ _No!_ ” he yelled over his shoulder at Finn as he felt the other man’s hand. He shook him off in panic, thinking he was going to tell him there was nothing for it; to stop digging, that there was no _way_ anyone could have survived that.

“Let me _help_ ,” Finn told him quickly instead, placing his hand back on Poe’s arm with slight pressure. Poe gave him room to get next to him and the slab he was trying to move, and he noticed for the first time that there were _others_ also helping, trying to dig Hux out as quickly as possible before the entire structure came down on their heads. 

Removing the slab gave way to a small pocket of space, and in that space, _Hux_.

He was whole as far as Poe could tell, but there was a wound on his head dripping through the dust and dirt that entirely covered the man, and he wasn’t moving. Poe didn’t know if it was actual words or just sound that left his mouth, but he was praying to everything and anything listening that Hux was _alive_ , and as they dropped the slab away, he was already moving to get him out.

“Poe wait a minute--”

“Hugs, Hugs _please_ \--” Poe started, shaking fingertips barely touching Hux’s dirt-covered face in utter fear. He wanted to just pull him out of there-- and it probably showed on his face as he half-listened to Finn telling him to let him _help_ him move him- but he had no idea how hurt Hux was… if he was even still _alive_. 

The gasping gulp of breath Hux suddenly took made all the unspent tears finally break down Poe’s face. Hux’s eyes fluttered a few times as he tried to wrestle with consciousness and pain, and Poe was moving more things away and off of him with swiftness to get him free. Hux had other cuts and flesh wounds from the debris-- that much was clear with the tears in his clothes and spots where he was slowly bleeding- but he was _whole_ , and Poe was pulling him into his arms and out with Finn’s help. 

Hux was pulled nearer the threshold of the structure and away from the crumbling hole, laying half-propped up against Poe’s chest between the pilot’s legs. Finn shouted for the hoverstretcher, and the others moved out of the building, but Poe’s focus was only on Hux.

He was openly crying now, tears leaving streaks down his face as Hux made little sounds of pain that slowly morphed into coherency as he tried to chase consciousness. Hux’s eyes locked onto Poe’s after a moment of shaky searching. One of his pupils was fully blown, dilated with what was obviously a concussion from the head wound. His voice dragged out Poe’s name as he laid there in his arms. “... _Poe…_ ” 

“Hugs-- I’m-I’m _sorry-_ ” Poe immediately spoke, regretting the cocky words of dismissal he’d spoken _right_ before they’d entered the structure. Hux had said it didn’t look structurally sound, and the construction was questionable regardless of what their scans said. Poe had called it _interesting_ and teased the man about his sense of adventure, but they’d been _so_ careful once inside... _This_ building had been the most stable-looking of them all as they’d all broken up into groups and scouted the area. No plant growth, no water damage… The plasticrete _should’ve_ been stronger, but he’d clearly underestimated it, and entirely blamed himself. “I didn’t know. I should’ve listened to you--”

“Poe….” Hux’s face was a grimace of pain, and his eyelids fluttered a moment as if he was going back under. It made something inside of Poe panic, even as he fought to keep his voice steady.

“Hey, hey this is no time to sleep…” he spoke gently, tears in his eyes as he touched the pad of a finger to Hux’s face. “Baby, hang on…” Hux’s eyes opened with what Poe _knew_ was annoyance at the endearment, but it kept him awake, anyway, and kept Poe from the edge of unhinged fear that threatened to consume him. 

It took some coaxing from Finn to let him go as they loaded him onto the hoverstretcher, and Poe stayed at Hux’s side as he was brought back onto the transport to the main ship.

\--

It should’ve gotten easier from there, but it was anything but. 

Poe was a mess as Hux was taken in to see Dr. Kalonia straight away, but he was not only allowed to stay, but also treated himself after the worst of Hux’s injuries were seen to.

Hux had multiple fractures and contusions, scrapes and cuts and minor punctures. The physical wounds weren’t the only problem, they found out, as bacta was applied and an IV was fed into Hux’s veins to ease the pain and hasten recovery; Mycelium spores were detected in the man’s lungs, and he was delirious as he fought a high-grade fever. He was worried about Poe-- about _Kylo Ren_ finding out about him; about _them_ \- and kept trying to urge Poe from the ship; _his_ ship. 

The timeline in Hux’s head was clearly a disoriented mess of contradiction, and Poe looked at Dr. Kalonia anxiously.

“Hallucinations are common with these types of spores, but they’ll be flushed out of his system with the medicine,” Dr. Kalonia explained sympathetically. “His concussion and fever aren’t helping matters, though. Be lucky you’re otherwise healthy, commander.”

“...he saved my life,” Poe stated miserably from behind his own respirator. He’d inhaled a good amount of the dust in the air as well, but unlike Hux, he didn’t have other problems complicating it. It was annoying because he couldn’t kiss the man, but it was no more cumbersome than the one he wore when he flew. “...if I’d only trusted his judgment…”

Kalonia put a hand on Poe’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up too much. It’s not your fault, Poe.”

He met her eyes, his own welling up for her words. She gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze before letting go, and turned the lights down to thirty-percent before leaving.

Hux was in and out of consciousness a lot, but Poe just stroked a thumb over the back of his hand and spoke soothing words, and it more or less seemed to help. He had a _lot_ to say to the other man. Words of gratitude for saving his life. Words of apology for not taking his concerns seriously. Words of love that he hadn’t quite spoken yet, waiting for the right moment. 

He’d wait til Hux was better before _proposing_ to the other man, but he wasn’t stingy on letting him know how he felt now.

Even if Hux wasn’t in the proper mind to receive those feelings.

“I-I won’t let Ren have you…” Hux spoke with delirious conviction, gripping Poe’s hand, eyes wild. 

“Shh… it’s okay, he won’t… Hey now, _it’s okay,_ ” Poe gently soothed as tears began to well up in Hux’s eyes. He wished he could press a kiss to the other man’s hand, but the respirator killed that idea before it could hatch. He placed his other hand around the one he held, cupping it securely between his palms and rubbing gently with the pad of his thumb. “We’re _safe_ , Hugs. You’re safe.”

“...No… you must…” he seemed to look around the dimmed room, disoriented and feverish still. His gaze landed on the chrono on the wall, and then snapped back to Poe, urgent and scared. “...you can’t let the Commandant find you here. He…” Hux trailed off, shutting his eyes with an exhausted huff that ended in a whine.

Poe pulled off the respirator for a moment just to kiss the part of Hux’s head that wasn’t bandaged. “You’re _safe_ , Hugs. I won’t let anyone get you....”

Hux settled down again, and Poe kept on holding his hand, grateful when the other man slipped into restful sleep. 

He was going to make sure that Hux understood how much this meant to him. If it took his entire life to stop the monsters lurking in Hux’s past from invading his future, he’d do it. Rebuild everything the man might’ve been _without_ the horror story that was his childhood. Poe had read his file, but he had more details direct from the other man to paint a much broader picture… the stuff of actual nightmares. Hux was the strongest person he knew.

When Hux woke a few hours later with Poe’s name on his lips in some sort of fever-dream, Poe brought a cool cloth to his face and reassured him that he was okay. 

Some time in the middle of the night it was _Poe’s_ turn to wake from a nightmare-- the replaying of the day’s events, but with a much-worse outcome, feeding into Poe’s every insecurity and worst fears.

Hux was awake, watching him with tired but coherent eyes. He gave Poe’s hand a squeeze before being wrapped up in an embrace proper. He pulled the mask from his face wearily, and stuck his face into Poe’s neck. The familiar warmth and smell of him calmed something inside of him that had prickled with worry. “...Poe.”

“Yeah… Yeah.” Poe kissed the side of his face, eventually leaning back to look at the other man, but not exactly letting go.

“...I dreamt… _things_ …”

“Yeah… You were feverish for a while… Should probably put this back on; let the medicine do its work,” he suggested of the respirator mask lying in Hux’s lap between them.

Hux ignored it, watching him intently. “...have you been here the whole time, Dameron?”

Poe’s lips quirked in a smile. “Of course.”

Hux’s brows pinched together. Snatches of things came back to him. Words. Images. His head hurt. “...Did you… _speak_ to me?”

Poe’s smile became toothy. “I _did_... You’re turning red, baby.”

“I’m feverish.” Hux closed his eyes with an exhale of breath and allowed himself to relax back into the pillows. Poe remained close, but didn’t move otherwise. 

“Your fever broke.” Hux just barely opened his eyes to give Poe a look, but his efforts were wasted; Poe’s grin was bright. And as Poe looked at Hux, his eyes began to fill with tears. 

“Come here,” Hux told him, pulling him back closer into another hug. He let Poe wrap his arms around him again, and brought a hand up to slide his fingers into the other man’s hair. Poe’s tears mingled with laughs, and Hux just pet him, grateful that he’d gotten Poe out of harm’s way; grateful he was still _alive_. 

“...I’ll never brush off what you say again…” Poe said between tears and kisses to Hux’s cheeks.

“...While I’m glad you recognize my superior judgment, I rather enjoyed that joke before it came true…”

Poe looked up, brows drawn together and face wet. “About the roof coming down on our heads? It _did_.”

“...your word play was much more amusing.”

“ _Hugs--_ ”

“I love you, Dameron.” Hux’s face was flushed and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fever. But he met Poe’s eyes head-on, remembering the words _Poe_ had spoken to him through minor lucidity. 

He couldn’t risk _not_ saying them now, while he had the chance. Who knew when the next ‘accident’ might happen? The galaxy was not wholly at peace, even if the tides were changing. It was a sentiment that Hux did not want to keep to himself, even if it made him blush. “And that’s not just because you said it fir-- _oh_.”

Poe kissed his lips, and the side of his mouth, and his forehead and both cheeks. His eyes were still swimming, but there was _so_ much emotion within that gaze. Hux _loved_ him, and he loved Hux back. And he’d make sure he knew that every single day for as long as they both lived.

Poe didn’t wait nearly as long as he told himself he would to propose. He didn’t even wait until Hux was out of the hospital proper.

Hux, of course, accepted. And if his face turned redder than his hair, well, that was just the fever returning, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> And everyone is _way_ nicer to Hux once he’s officially out of the hospital after having saved Poe’s life… because they might not like Hux but they all like Poe and anyways it earned him major points (of which he’s disgusted with their opinions of course) but Poe loves it and loves him and they live super happily ever after THE SUPER END xD haha :)
> 
> [my star wars tumblr](http://go-hux-yourself.tumblr.com/) | [my fic archive masterlist](https://go-hux-yourself.tumblr.com/post/187723542337/poisonjack-ao3-fic-archive)| [my twitter](https://twitter.com/PurgeThatUrge)


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